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Proles, Sheeple, Plebs

The Anna Raccoon Archives

by SadButMadLad on March 31, 2012

Many times I’ve heard bloggers and commentators write that everyone who isn’t active in politics is the cause of the problem with society. It’s because these people aren’t bothered about their country or society that the elite have managed to get away with running the country into the ground.

For those who discuss political issues it seems that they are the pretty important things in their lives. Sometimes so important to the exclusion of all other interests that it takes over their lives. More commonly it means that anything in normal life is twisted into a political point. Because it is such a strong interest they can’t understand why no one else sees the importance of the issues.

From the highly opinionated standpoint of such bloggers and columnists it’s understandable that they get frustrated by all the people who don’t follow the plan to overthrow the government. If only they joined the cause then there could have a proper vote to remove the useless politicians from government. Instead we are left with a declining proportion of voters in the electorate.

They call these non-interested people sheeple, plebs, and proles in a derogatory manner. But is it fair to call the rest of the population such names? They probably have more important things to think of in their own lives than something as niche an interest such as politics.

But is it because everyone else doesn’t care or might they feel as strongly but not actually be that vocal?

I suspect the latter.

Take for example this blog. It might seem like it’s only visited by a small number of regulars with a few more who visit infrequently. But what might not be realised is that there are many many visitors to this site who have visited hundreds of times but who have never left a comment of their own. The fact that they visit means that they have some interest in the issues. But does the fact that they don’t comment make them sheeple?

Then there is the attitude that such proles are stupid and dumb and only those who are discussing such intellectual political ideas are the intelligent people. Therefore they should be the ones deciding how the country is run and the plebs should sit back and let the brilliant people use their brains and fix the country.

But is that fair? Most of the proles are probably university educated and highly intelligent but find no interest in politics. They might find more interest in their hobbies which takes over their lives to the exclusion of all other issues and that it takes over their lives. More commonly it means that anything in normal life is based around their hobby. Because it is such a strong interest they can’t understand why no one else sees the importance of their hobby.

{25 comments }

Yorkshire LadApril 4, 2012 at 17:43

I always thought “Sheeple”was a term used to describe the general ignorant public, the ones who are glued to the shit TV and are those who do not take much notice of ANYTHING that does not interest/benefit them. I’m not sure politics even enters it.

For me, there are the “sheeple”, those who care not and sleep walk through life consuming and moaning. (Taking out mortgages they cannot afford etc.)

Those that are intrested in politics, but are too jaded to do anything about it.

Those that are active/interested in politics but have fuck all influence.

Those that are active in politics that shit on us from a great height.

I left out the politicians that actually want to do some good as I am not sure there are any.

As Billy Connelly once said “Any person that want’s to become a politician should be banned from doing so.” or words to that effect.

I’m with you, it’s page views that count. They show we are getting the ideas out. I know one American site that is highly focused on comments, contributors (me included) can find they have more comments than views as opposing extremes go head to head on an issue.

I believe if some of the visitors read and reading makes a few think, that is a better result.

john malpasApril 1, 2012 at 00:56

Sure in Australia you got to vote. But look at what you got to vote for. Faded footballers, real estate agents as padding. And trade union mates for the real voters. Can you vote for crusading judges, trade union heads, council clerks , ethnic community ‘leaders’. Not really.

carol42March 31, 2012 at 19:40

PS I loathe George Galloway, have done his days at Dundee but I couldn’t help smiling when he trounced them all.

carol42March 31, 2012 at 19:38

I am/was a real politics junkie, one of my major subjects at uni, until quite recently. As the polticians have become professionals it is hard to tell them or their policies apart. I got sick of being told don’t smoke, ruined my social life a lot, don’t drink, don’t eat this or that, they seem to interfere in everything that is not their business and charge us for the privilege as in the global warming nonsence which has deprived us of light bulbs we actually liked and costing a fortune on our bills. I still vote but somewhat reluctantly but find more and more I concentrate on making sure, as far as I can, that I and my family are ok and less and less on what our politicians are doing as I feel we have no influence on them any more. They no longer care what we want or even think.

EngineerMarch 31, 2012 at 21:02

Can’t help feeling that the worst thing we ever did was allow politicians (national, local and especially EU) to pay themselves. It’s not a public service anymore, it’s a career. The things they do and say are as much to further their own careers as for the common good.

I’m not that political. Reading a few blogs and commenting is about as far as I go with political activism; I only take an interest inasmuch as politics affects how I live my life – and I wish it didn’t as much. I vote, but have to find the least worst option rather than for something I believe in.

Nowadays, I’d sooner gouge out my own eyeballs with a blunt teaspoon than join a political party – I want the freedom to make my own mind up about things, not be part of a dragooned and blinkered political tribe.

FrankieMarch 31, 2012 at 19:13

An interesting post SBML.

I think that there is general apathy about politics and the feeling amongst many of the citizenry that their voice and feelings about issues count for nothing. This is reflected in the very poor turn out at election time. I think it is also true that there are many people whose lives revolve around such inanities as ‘X’ Factor or football; or they are far to busy with their careers or with their families to lift their minds to the issues of the day.

I may be shot down in flames for saying this but I really favour the system in Australia where I believe that EVERYONE of a certain age is required to vote, on pain of sanction: spoil the ballot paper if you choose but surely the Government there can claim to have been weighed by the electorate…

I vote for two reasons. Firstly, because our forefathers fought to keep the country free from Nazi tyranny, against horrendous odds and I feel that it is the very least I can do – to get out of bed and get myself down to the polling station once in a while. I even went to considerable additional lengths to exercise this right whilst serving overseas, so important did I consider my obligation.

Secondly, in exercising my freedom to vote, I am enjoying a privilege that is denied to many people around the globe so, for their sake, I do not feel it is morally right not to bother. I really get irritated when people I know don’t bother to vote; you may consider it an expression of their right to abstain but personally I don’t think the matter actually crosses their minds.

The general malaise saddens me but perhaps the unexpected election of George Galloway to a safe Labour seat is a sign of things to come…

M BarnesMarch 31, 2012 at 15:59

An interesting angle to take SBML. I suspect those dismissed as ‘sheeple’ etc would make themselves perfectly clear about things if som elines were crossed. Political history is littered with politicians and parties who presumed apathy and got a surprise upper-cut from the great unwashed.

All the name-calling is just snobbery in disguise. Got no time for snobs. And definitely do not think those ‘active’ in politics should be given carte blanche. I am formulating a vague theory that the apparantly apathetic masses are a necessary balance in the democratic process – a great big rock whose inertia must be overcome before the rock can get rolling. And so ensuring only the very determined and talented get their change.

I’ve noticed that people who are keen on activity X want to get everyone else into activity X and can’t understand why so many people don’t care about it.

For example, subscribers to a brand of religion want to convert everyone else to their brand, and regard it as appalling that the majority of people just aren’t interested.

So to with politics. Just as religion isn’t one of my hobbies, neither are trainspotting, politics, dog breeding and many, many other things that other people find fun.

My advice to people into their own things – do NOT try to get me interested in your thing, because you’re really regret it if I do get interested, and the outcome will not be what you were hoping for.

uk FredMarch 31, 2012 at 13:10

As the political parties begin to form a single amorphous mass, people have less faith in politicians, especially in the larger parties (Conservtive, Labour, LibDem, SNP and Plaid) and want to get someone who will upset the applecart like Geoge Galloway, or move to the smaller parties which claim to reflect their views (UKIP, BNP, SSP). Frequently they are not sure who will reflect their views because the political class are seen as “all peeing in the same pot”. The demise of pubs in Britain is simply accelerating the trend that Alan Watt described in his You Tube videos for Prison Planet, in which people do not congregate together to exchange ideas and opinions, and stop at home in relative isolation instead. If the politicians do wake the ‘sheeple’, then they will do to the political class what the attack on Pearl Harbour did to Japan in the Second World War.

TwigMarch 31, 2012 at 19:19

“The demise of pubs in Britain is simply accelerating the trend that Alan Watt described in his You Tube videos for Prison Planet, in which people do not congregate together to exchange ideas and opinions, and stop at home in relative isolation instead”

That may be why politicians have encouraged the death of the great British pub. People now exchange ideas over the internet, and that medium can be “moderated” or curtailed if needs must.

Everything is done for a reason, but not necessarily the reason stated.

KarenMarch 31, 2012 at 12:06

I read your blog and quite a few others just to keep an eye on what’s going on. I only comment when I have something to say – I usually leave the outrage to others. In fact, the only time I comment about politics on any site is when I find something funny. Maybe I’m just an airhead

Single Acts of TyrannyMarch 31, 2012 at 11:58

Anna was kind enough to review “Single Acts of Tyranny” on this site a little while ago and I wrote it for the very reason you blog about. I just hoped to shake one or two people out of the normalcy bias and say ‘things don’t have to be this way and it is in fact very oppressive’

ivanMarch 31, 2012 at 11:08

All politicians know that they must never disturb the sheeple or ‘bad things’, as they see them will happen – especially to them.

Many’s the time I’ve read a blog, got a comment all ready, only to find someone’s said just the thing I was going to say! So I haven’t.

Maybe lots fall into that category?

If there’s a ‘vote’ option for comments as in CiF, I’ll use that instead.

SadButMadLadMarch 31, 2012 at 11:16

Sometime ago in my past I was moderator of a forum (before the time of blogs). It was a busy forum with hundreds of comments a day. But I personally knew people who though they regularly visited never ever commented. They gave the same reason as you as to why. Someone else had already said what they were going to say.

FrankMarch 31, 2012 at 19:29

This isn’t the only political blog. Maybe we visit lots of blogs that we find interesting. And maybe we only comment on one or two of them.

TwigMarch 31, 2012 at 19:11

+1

Ens7averApril 1, 2012 at 07:41

Seconded.

p.s. this is my first ever comment in over 3 years of reading political blogs

“Above all today’s idiots want to be left alone to live their lives as they choose. For me that’s the essence of politics – I praise these idiots and applaud their apathy.”

As a ‘politician’ you would say that – move along, nothing to worry your little head about here.

Of course people want to be left alone. They’re too busy struggling to find the money to pay their energy bills (the ones with the surcharges for a potentially non-existent climate problem – we’re not allowed to have a sensible debate). They’re too busy trying to find non existent jobs (due to the ‘experts’ in gummint destroying the country).

Poor ickle loves, leave em alone.

Humble ObserverMarch 31, 2012 at 10:17

I DO blame the ‘sheeple’.

As you say, Sad (me lad!!!) people have other interests. BUT, surely the majority could spare an hour a week (as much as that…) doing a bit of research (ie: looking at blogs such as this). I bet they could manage to squeeze it in – betwwen watching ‘X poptastic dancing on jellied eels’ & [email protected]

What you’re describing here is general political apathy. It’s not that people are ‘stupid’, it’s because our political elites do not believe in anything strongly enough to galvanise the public. Throughout the entire 20th century the clash between left and right moved millions either to the ballot box or the barricades (sometimes both). It wasn’t just the world that was divided into two competing blocs, it was also the political terrain at home.

When I was younger (I’m talking the 80′s here), whether you were left or right, whether you voted Labour or Conservative, wasn’t just a matter of polite opinion – it almost defined you as a person and where you stood in the world. We took politics more seriously then. Now that’s no longer the case.

People will stop being apathetic when there is something really big and new to fight for – a political body of ideas that gets the public to sit up and take notice. Honestly, a squabble over the ‘pasty tax’ just doesn’t float our collective or individual boat!

GrumpyGrandpaMarch 31, 2012 at 09:59

This is the first time that I’ve ever posted to a stranger’s blog. Even though I’m often enraged by what is going on about me. What I *do*, however, is to tell my nearest, my dearest and my friends what I think and how I feel (via Facebook), and try to point them to sites such as this. I’m truly thankful that blogs like this put a different version of the truth out there – and if I can’t change the world, at least I can keep my friends from utter, total apathy.